Yesterday, Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange issued a preliminary injunction stopping the Oklahoma State Board of Elections from certifying the election results for State Question 755, which prohibits the state courts from “look[ing] to the legal precepts of other nations and cultures” when deciding a case. Question 755 specifically states that courts “shall not consider international...
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Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on this issue. The case arises out of California where on average 2 inmates must occupy the space constructed for just one. A three-judge panel issued an order capping the total prison population at 137.5 percent of design capacity. This result must be achieved within two years. The...
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Today the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals disclosed the panel that will hear the appeal of Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision striking down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional. The panel will be: Judge Stephen R. Reinhardt—perhaps the most left-leaning judge on the federal bench; Judge Michael Hawkins—a very liberal judge; and Judge N. Randy Smith—a moderate compared...
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Once again, the FBI encourages someone to commit a terrorist attack, sets him up with the weapon, and stops him just in time, thank goodness. Just as before, we are told over and over that the crime was in no real danger of being carried out, and yet we are supposed to thank the...
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Young people and foreigners who are unfamiliar with the conduct of public affairs in the United States sometimes have difficulty in decoding the rhetoric used to describe government actions in this country. As a public service to such political novices, I have drawn up a brief guide whose entries match a particular government action,...
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In a recent post, Ashley Thorne discusses “Lessons of a Professional Paper-Writer” . Thorne cites a fascinating Chronicle of Higher Education column entitled “The Shadow Scholar: The man who writes your students’ papers tells his story” This is a class (inequality) issue: those with money can afford to buy entrance to careers, those without...
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Bill Ayers is back in the news. Robert Kennedy’s son, newly on the board of the U of I Chicago, led a move denying Ayers emeritus status as a retired professor. Newsweek covered the story

Conservative Party MEP Daniel Hannan was perhaps the first major member of the European Parliament to rebel against the socialism of the European Union (EU) and its creation of the financial debacle of Europe. He has called for the disintegration of the EU and for his attempts, he has been silenced and then expelled...
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Scientists are calling into question the research cited by—and commissioned by—government officials regarding the relative risks posed to travelers subjected to full body scanners’ radiation. Independent scientists find the actual radiation exposure is 10 times TSA estimates, and argue that the health risks aren’t mathematically worth taking: [Arizona State University, Tempe physics] Prof. Peter...
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With Thanksgiving upon us once again, we offer a reminder of the economic lesson that made our first Thanksgiving possible: The Pilgrims’ Real Thanksgiving Lesson by Benjamin Powell Feast and football. That’s what many of us think about at Thanksgiving. Most people identify the origin of the holiday with the Pilgrims’ first bountiful harvest....
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